A Second Chance
by SweetHawthorn
Summary: Naegi mysteriously found himself back on his first day in school after the events of the first DanganRonpa. With the chance to relive the lost two years, Naegi needed to get his friends back on his side again and prevent the Most Despair-Inducing Incident from happening. SPOILERS for the first DanganRonpa and ZERO
1. Chapter 1

A white light blinded his eyes. And for several seconds, he could see nothing.

He blinked a few times as the light subsided. _Who knew the sunlight could be so garish,_ he thought. But the sight that greeted his eyes was not one that he had expected…

A tall, majestic iron gate stood right in front of him. And behind those gates was a stunning red brick building sporting an all to familiar logo on the top…

Hope's Peak Academy.

_B-But how?_ He should have been walking _out_ of the building. It does not make any sense for him to be standing outside its gates.

Frantically, he looked around him. The area was deserted. The trees and grasses rustled gently in the passing breeze. It was probably the most peaceful scenery he had seen in a long time.

And yet, that defied what he had just learned of the outside world. Outside Hope's Peak Academy, war and terrorism was said to be raging mindlessly. Despair was supposed to have engulfed the whole world, with death and destruction running rampant.

In disbelief, he tried pinching his forearm. When nothing happened, he tried slapping his cheek. Again, all that his actions resulted in was his skin turning red and the pain it left behind. He closed his eyes, recalling the last scene he remembered before the blinding light engulfed him…

_Makoto Naegi stood before a gigantic iron door adorned with ominous looking lights and buttons. On the ceilings, machine guns were fitted and aimed at the iron door, ready to take down any intruders… or escapists for that matter. Naegi looked down at the remote in his hand. On it, a large red button gleamed inside an acrylic cover. _

_They were finally getting out of this hellhole. The killing game that the mastermind devised for them was finally put to an end…_

_Deprived of their memories, Naegi and fifteen other students were locked up inside Hope's Peak Academy under the condition that they may only leave if they kill another student without getting caught. _

_To further motivate them, Monokuma, the monochrome bear that acted as the vessel for the mastermind, continued to pile on more and more threats and rewards, ranging from money and their deepest secrets. _

_Now that the mastermind is finally dead and the escape switch in their hands, their hearts fluttered nervously at the thought of facing the war-torn world outside. Smiling encouragingly, Naegi turned to his friends. _

_On one end stood Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant. Hagakure was one of the most laid-back among all the participants. Some may even consider him dumb. But it appeared that his luck was more reliable than his fortune-telling capabilities for he miraculously survived the killing game. _

_Beside him stood the cheerful Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimmer. Friendly and energetic, Asahina had constantly tried to maintain her positive attitude. Even with the death of her best friend, she remained strong and believed in Naegi and his assurance that hope still exists. _

_On the other end stood Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. The heir of a mega conglomerate at a young age, Togami first came across as cold and calculating. But despite his arrogance, he never gave in to the mastermind's taunts and temptations to kill another student. He finally accepted Naegi and the others as his comrades as they worked together to bring down the mastermind._

_Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy stood beside Togami, her face bright red. She was antisocial and constantly harboured the thought that everyone in the world was out to get her. What the participants later came to realise about her was that she suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Her alter ego, Genocide Jill was a serial murderer with a sadistic personality. Yet despite being a serial murderer, Genocide Jill had refrained from killing anyone, even extending her help to them by providing valuable information that none of them could remember. The only thing that both identities had in common was their knowledge and lust for Byakuya Togami, often blushing and drooling in the presence of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny._

_And right beside Naegi stood Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Her sharp intellect had threatened the mastermind's plans and therefore steps had been taken to ensure that she had lost more of her memories than the other participants. Calm and collected, Kirigiri had been Naegi's most valuable ally throughout their ordeal. She smiled at him as his eyes met hers, a faint tint of pink coloured her cheeks as she gripped Naegi's hands. _

_Naegi took a deep breath as he pushed the red button. The alarms sounded deafeningly around them as the machine guns retracted into the ceilings. The lights on the huge iron door blinked wildly and the ground rattled as the iron gave way. Sunlight streamed in through the gap in the door and blinded their eyes…_

Naegi once again opened his eyes to face the iron gates that stood between him and the main school building. He checked his watch and the time read 8:00 – the exact same time he had arrived in Hope's Peak Academy for his first day. Too nervous at the prospect of attending an elite high school, Naegi had arrived way too early for the orientation.

Bewildered, Naegi decided to examine the iron gates in front of Hope's Peak Academy again. And as soon as he touched it, the gates opened with a loud deafening clink. Startled, he took a step back. But the gates simply stood there, harmless and even welcoming.

He stood there for a long time. His memories of the school were not exactly happy, terrifying even. Even though the mastermind had eventually revealed that he and his friends had spent two long happy years in the school before their memories were erased and the killing game began, none of those memories had returned to Naegi. As much as he had come to hold his friends dear without the memories of the two years, the school itself remained a symbolism of terror and death.

At that very moment, a familiar booming voice called out to him from behind.

'Hey! You there! What are you doing standing suspiciously in front of the school gates!?'

Startled, Naegi quickly turned around to find a boy around his age walking towards him with a stern look on his face. The boy had black hair and thick eyebrows, and his spotless white uniform had not a single crease. Everything about that boy seemed prim, proper and uptight.

'I-Ishimaru!?' Naegi exclaimed. Upon hearing his name, the boy named Ishimaru stopped dead in his tracks a few metres away from Naegi, the look of suspicion in his eyes intensified.

'How did you know my name!?' he shouted, but Naegi ignored him. The sight of Ishimaru walking, talking and breathing was bizarre enough for him, not to mention the fact that Ishimaru did not seem to remember Naegi.

_It cannot be… Ishimaru was dead… I saw him with my own eyes…_ Naegi again pinched his thigh in disbelief, wincing in pain as the reality kicked in.

'I am talking to you here!' Ishimaru hollered again, 'Show some respect! I am asking you how did you know my name!?'

'I-I… I've heard about you…' Naegi stammered, racking his brains for an excuse that did not seem too farfetched for the volatile Ishimaru to process. 'My friends told me about you… Ultimate Moral Compass, am I right?'

'I am.' Ishimaru said, his voice calming down substantially, yet in his eyes Naegi still saw a glimpse of suspicion.

'Well, everyone in Hope's Peak Academy is a celebrity in their own rights.' Naegi said as cold sweat began forming on his forehead. 'Everyone except me, that is.'

This was true. Naegi's title was the Ultimate Luckster. He had won a lottery to enter an elite high school full of geniuses, athletes and many other special talents. But this all changed after the events with the mastermind unfolded. His friends had dubbed him the Ultimate Hope. He had been the one who saved them from despair, convinced them that there was some hope left in the world, and ultimately drove the mastermind to wallow in her own despair as her plans were foiled.

'Well then, I assume you are a new student too,' Ishimaru said, his intense facial expression suddenly transforming into one with a bright smile. 'I have come early to familiarise myself with the school grounds so that I may assist all the new students. Looks like I've found someone who can help me with that.'

Before Naegi could utter anything, Ishimaru had quickly wrapped his arm around Naegi's shoulders and led him through the school gates.

They roamed the halls of Hope's Peak Academy, which Naegi had uncomfortably been accustomed to. Every now and then, images of blood and monochrome bears flashed in the corner of his eyes, reminding him of the tragedies that had taken place within these very halls.

'…The cafeteria would be a good place for meetings… I suppose the orientation would begin in the gym…' Ishimaru continued talking, mostly to himself, as they explore various areas of the school. Naegi looked at him forlornly as he contemplated recounting his bizarre experience to Ishimaru.

_No…_ A small voice in his head opposed the idea. Ishimaru was too uptight to believe in supernatural recounts. Furthermore, in such a peaceful setting, his story of death, murder and despair seemed farfetched even to Naegi himself. Ishimaru would view him as nothing but a lunatic.

'Naegi, were you listening?' Ishimaru's booming voice cut through his train of thought.

'Um… sorry.' Naegi said apologetically. 'What was it you were saying again?'

'Students!' Ishimaru said, pointing out the window, which overlooked the front gate. 'More have begun to arrive!' Naegi looked out the same window. Specks of human figures have begun streaming in through the gate.

'Let's go down there and greet them!' Ishimaru said energetically. 'I'm sure there are lots of newbies down there who require our assistance!' Left with no other choice, Naegi let out a small sigh as he followed Ishimaru out of the classroom.


	2. Chapter 2

The entrance hall was now buzzing with life and excitement. Students of varying backgrounds and appearances filled the room. Some simply stood nervously, eyeing the others, quietly wondering who would be their classmates. Some found old friends and instantly busied themselves with catching up. Others, such as Ishimaru, confidently introduced themselves in the hopes of sparking a new friendship.

When Naegi entered the entrance hall, he realised that he had lost Ishimaru in the crowd. Shrugging, he looked around and saw a number of familiar faces…

A small, mousy girl stood nervously in one corner of the room – or at least that was what he looked like to strangers. For Chihiro Fujisaki was, despite his feminine outfit and small build, a boy. Apprehension coloured his gentle face as he looked around the entrance hall. 'Chihiro…' Naegi muttered to himself. Fujisaki had been one of his classmates, and also a participant of the sadistic killing game. Quiet, intelligent and kind, Fujisaki had left behind a beacon of hope for them before his untimely death.

Standing some ways away from Fujisaki was an overweight boy with a strange hairstyle and an almost comical face who was striking a conversation with a girl dressed in gothic Lolita style. Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, appeared wary and nervous as the poker-faced Celestia Ludenberg talked.

Once again, Naegi could feel a sharp pang of remorse within his heart. He knew what had happened to them, and the possibility of those incidents recurring again within this world stabbed him like a knife.

'Oi! Naegi!' the loud voice of Kiyotaka Ishimaru filled his ears. Once again he was slammed back into reality by that same booming voice. 'Over here!' He turned around and saw Ishimaru a few feet away from him. Beside him stood a girl with flowing dark hair who made Naegi's heart stop.

Sayaka Maizono's face beamed as she caught sight of him. The thought of meeting her again had never occurred to Naegi ever since he set foot in this bizarre world. Beautiful, talented and friendly, Maizono was Naegi's schoolmate from middle school, as well as his first crush.

But also the one who tried to frame him when the killing game begun…

Her plans had backfired when her prey set out to kill her, and only in the last moments before her death had she tried clearing Naegi's name with a dying message. Although Naegi had forgiven Maizono of her treachery, seeing her again sent shivers down his spine.

'Ah Naegi!' Maizono exclaimed as Naegi made his way towards them. 'I never thought I'd see you here!'

'Ummm… yeah…' Naegi said as cold sweat began forming on his forehead.

'Oh! So you knew each other?' Ishimaru said, 'Well then I'll leave you two to catch up!' And with that he walked off towards the timid Chihiro Fujisaki.

Naegi watched Ishimaru walk away, hesitating whether or not to call him back. 'Are you okay, Naegi?' Maizono's gentle voice called out to him. 'You look pale.'

'Ah… I'm okay!' Naegi quickly replied, 'I just didn't get enough sleep.'

A stupid lie; Maizono made him nervous albeit in a different way than what he felt years ago. Underneath that angelic façade was a scheming devil – which Naegi now understood.

Maizono smiled at him, oblivious to the storm brewing inside her classmate's mind. 'I didn't think you would remember me!'

'I-I didn't think you would either,' Naegi replied nervously as déjà vu struck him. He knew she was going to talk about him saving a crane and how she came to notice him after that incident in middle school.

Sure enough, Maizono recounted the event, word-by-word as he remembered them from their first meeting at the beginning of the killing game. However, he was saved from the need to respond by the timely chime of a bell and an announcement, which prompted all the new students to gather at the gym.

All through the headmaster's speech, Naegi sat in silence deep in his own thought. None of his friends remembered him. Not Ishimaru, not Maizono. Everyone was alive and well. The world was peaceful. Had he been transported back in time?

He then recalled the mastermind's words about the lost two years of their lives. Even now that he had been told about it, none of those memories came back. No matter how much he racked his brains for it, he had no inkling of what happened between those two years.

_If I was truly transported back in time, I must not let anyone know about it. Ishimaru's hostile reaction when I called his name made it apparent; people will think that I'm a lunatic. If this is the past, then maybe… just maybe… I can investigate and prevent the Most Despair Inducing Incident from ever happening…_

His eyes scanned the room for the ultimate key. It did not take long for him to spot it – a girl with pink hair tied in pigtails and flashy outfit sitting five rows away from him.

Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista, sat calmly with a bored look on her pretty face. Ever since a young age, Enoshima had taken the nation by storm with her stunning beauty and impeccable fashion sense. And by middle school, she was already a world-renowned model.

And she also happened to be the genius mastermind of the killing game…

Looking at the pretty girl in a room full of students, Naegi could hardly believe that Junko Enoshima was capable of such sadistic feats. In his heart he quietly wondered if the seeds of despair had already taken root in her heart…

At that very moment, a girl sitting beside Enoshima caught Naegi's eye and nudged Enoshima, turning her attention towards him. Startled, Naegi grinned awkwardly at the both of them and quickly turned back to face the headmaster. It was only then that he realised who the girl sitting beside Enoshima was.

Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier.

Pale-faced with freckles and short black hair, Ikusaba was a member of the mercenary group Fenrir. It was said that she was undefeatable on the battlefield. Unfortunately, she was also Junko Enoshima's older twin sister.

During the killing game, Ikusaba had posed as her sister and in the process was betrayed and killed by that very same sister. Even in the last moments before her death, she could not believe that Enoshima had turned her back on her.

The headmaster's speech continued on for several more minutes. After all formalities had been extended, the students were then prompted to make their way to their respective classrooms.

Naegi dragged his feet as he slowly walked towards his classroom, deliberately stalling for time. The day had been exhausting enough as it is, and seeing his dead friends alive and friendly with one another made his head throb. It was as if he could no longer believe his five senses; as if all hints of rationality had been sucked out of this world.

Out of a sudden, without any warning, he was slammed onto the ground by an unknown force. As he tried getting up, a shadowy figure loomed before him and pinned him back down. It took him a few seconds to make out the pale and dangerous face of Mukuro Ikusaba, which at that moment seemed like that of a deranged killer.

'Who are you and what do you want from us?' she hissed dangerously at Naegi.

'What!?' Naegi exclaimed in shock.

'I'm asking you a question!' Ikusaba said as she placed one hand around Naegi's neck. 'Who are you and what do you want from us?!' Her voice growing louder with every syllable she spoke.

'I am just a student!' Naegi replied hastily, 'Makoto Naegi! We're in the same class!'

'Are you telling the truth?' Ikusaba demanded as her grip around his neck tightened.

'Of course, I am!' Naegi choked but Ikusaba showed no signs of relenting.

'C'mon Mukuro!' a voice called out from behind them. 'You don't want to kill another student on our first day of school, don't you?'

Ikusaba gave Naegi another deadly stare before releasing him. As Naegi got up from the ground, he turned around to find himself face to face with Junko Enoshima.

'Hiya!' Enoshima greeted him cheerfully. She stood there in all her majestic grandeur with one hand on her hip. 'So you're our classmate, huh?'

'Y-Yeah,' Naegi stammered, taken aback by her cheerful disposition. Last he remembered, Enoshima was an unhinged psychopath who was constantly switching between multiple personalities. Arrogant, unpredictable, manipulative but intelligent – those are the words to describe the mastermind of the killing game. Yet never in his wildest dreams did Naegi expect to meet a friendly and cheerful Enoshima.

'My name is Junko Enoshima! Nice to meet ya!' Enoshima said again, this time extending one hand for Naegi to shake.

'Makoto Naegi,' Naegi replied, warily taking her hand, 'Nice to meet you too…'

'Ehhh~ Mukuro must have shocked you real bad!' Enoshima commented, 'you seem terrified now. But don't you worry! Mukuro is a nice girl once you get to know her. She's my older sister by the way!'

Naegi turned towards the glum-faced mercenary and smiled at her. 'Nice to meet you too, Mukuro!' Ikusaba's eyes widened as a blush of pink formed on her freckled cheeks before quickly turning away to walk towards their classroom.

'Geez, Mukuro!' Enoshima said, taking after her sister, 'how are you gonna make any friends if you keep that mercenary stance of yours up?'

Naegi eyed the sisters' backs for a moment before slowly walking in the same direction. Thousands of thoughts swirled inside his mind, and millions more questions that required answering. Was this how Enoshima was like before the killing game begun? Had she already earned the title of Ultimate Despair? Has her sadistic personality formed at this point of time? Or did something happen within the two years to turn her into the maniacal mastermind?

_I need to get to the bottom if this and stop history from repeating itself,_ Naegi thought. _And the only way I can do this is by first getting to know Junko Enoshima better._

Steeling his resolve, he stepped forward to enter the classroom, which Junko Enoshima and her sister had just stepped into…


	3. Chapter 3

A flurry of mixed emotions almost drowned Naegi as he stepped into the classroom. All this friends were there – alive and well – chattering and laughing with one another.

There was, of course, Junko Enoshima and her sister, Mukuro Ikusaba, talking to one another. Naegi presumed they were still continuing their argument from the corridor earlier.

And sitting at the corner of the classroom was Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Tall and intimidating with an oddly exaggerated pompadour-like hairstyle, Owada had a foul mouth and a reckless attitude. His recklessness got him into serious trouble during the killing game when he murdered Chihiro Fujisaki in a fit of rage and jealousy. In such times, even the deepest regret and remorse proved useless as the mastermind subsequently sentenced him to death.

Talking to Owada was a smaller boy with bright red hair and a goatee. Leon Kuwata was the Ultimate Baseball Star who had wanted to give up that title for a career in music. He was also Sayaka Maizono's prey before her plan backfired and _he_ murdered her instead. His classmates subsequently found out about his crime and the sadistic monochrome bear had sentenced him to death on the baseball field.

Not far from Owada and Kuwata was Aoi Asahina who was happily chatting with her soon-to-be best friend, Sakura Ogami. Being the Ultimate Fighter, Ogami was tall and muscular, with numerous scars all over her body and a deep voice. People's first impressions of her would most definitely be intimidating and scary. But despite her frightening appearance, Ogami was a gentle soul. Going so far as to sacrifice herself to cease the mutual killings during the killing game.

Sitting beside the window was Byakuya Togami, detached as always from the banters of his classmates. And sitting on the desk behind him was Toko Fukawa with her eyes flitting back and forth, as if she was anticipating an attack.

Celestia Ludenberg, on the other hand, quietly eyed her new classmates from where she was sitting, not far from Byakuya Togami's seat. She did not say a word, but her sharp eyes pierced through every living soul, reading each and every one of their movements, befitting of her title of Ultimate Gambler.

Meanwhile, Kiyotaka Ishimaru was chatting up with Chihiro Fujisaki who seemed to have warmed up quite a bit towards the straight-laced student. Yasuhiro Hagakure too was having his own conversation with the plump Hifumi Yamada, although their conversation did not seem to be going as well as the other students'. Yamada looked visibly frustrated while Hagakure merely laughed ignorantly.

And sitting right in front of the classroom, talking to Sayaka Maizono, was the one person Naegi had wanted to meet ever since he arrived in this bizarre universe. Kyoko Kirigiri sat calmly with one of her gloved hands propping her chin.

Without thinking any further, Naegi quickly walked towards Kirigiri and Maizono. Somehow, Naegi felt the nagging urge to talk to Kirigiri. She was the one he trusted most during the course of the killing game, and now that time had rewound, he must somehow get her back on his side.

'Ah, Naegi!' Maizono greeted him cheerfully as she saw him approaching. 'What took you so long?'

'I just got held back a little,' Naegi said, smiling politely before turning to Kirigiri.

'I should introduce the both of you,' Maizono said, 'this is Kyoko Kirigiri, and this here is Makoto Naegi. We went to the same middle school.'

'Umm… Nice to meet you,' Naegi said awkwardly.

'Nice to meet you too,' Kirigiri said succinctly, her cold demeanour making it clear to Naegi that she, unlike him, had not retained her memories of the killing game.

Before Naegi could say anything further, their homeroom teacher stepped into the classroom, ending all the students' conversations. Naegi took a seat in the middle of the classroom, between Leon Kuwata and Aoi Asahina. His mind, however, did not focus on the homeroom teacher or any other activities planned out for the orientation.

Throughout the whole day, Naegi kept only two things in mind – Kyoko Kirigiri and Junko Enoshima. He kept watch over the both of them, wondering the best method to approach each of them – the former to gain her trust, and the latter to gain information.

…

Later that night, Naegi waited until the corridors were deserted before slipping quietly out of his dorm room. He checked the nameplates of all the dorms he passed by, one by one, until he saw the one he was looking for and softly rapped on the door.

Kyoko Kirigiri's purple head appeared on the doorway, wearing a confused expression.

'Makoto Naegi, am I right?' she asked.

'Yes,' Naegi said, 'I need to talk to you.'

'Now?' Kirigiri asked again, even more bewildered, 'what could you have to say to me? We just met…'

'We didn't _just_ meet, not for me at least.' Naegi said, wondering how to put it in such a way so that Kirigiri would not freak out. 'Look… What I'm about to say may sound highly ridiculous, but I just need you to hear me out, all the way through. No judgements until then.'

Kirigiri stared at him for a long while. Although her poker face may not divulge her true impressions of Naegi, he knew she would have thought him mad.

'Please,' Naegi pleaded, 'I need _your_ help…'

Kirigiri finally relented. She stepped aside, allowing Naegi to enter her room. Her room, like all the other dorms, was furnished with a bed, a few cabinets, a table, as well as a study desk. There were no decorations. Kirigiri's no frills attitude shone through her minimalistic room.

She sat at the foot of her bed and motioned for Naegi to sit beside her. Soon, the whole story spilled out of Naegi's mouth. How he woke up believing it was his first day of school. How Monokuma taunted them to kill one another. How Sayaka Maizono caved in and set the snowball rolling. How Kuwata, Owada and Celestia were executed for their crimes. How Sakura Ogami sacrificed her life to stop the remaining students from killing one another. How it was revealed that they had actually spent two years together without them remembering it. Junko Enoshima's plans for them and the live feed to the world, and how they finally managed to overcome despair with hope.

Naegi carefully omitted out a few details along the way, specifically those that concerned their classmates, such as Chihiro Fujisaki being a boy and Celestia Ludenberg's real name. He believed that no matter how trustworthy Kirigiri was, their secrets were not his to divulge. And doing otherwise would make him feel really guilty.

Kirigiri remained silent for the whole time, and yet her violet eyes never strayed from Naegi. Although her expression revealed nothing, he knew she was carefully taking in every word he said.

When he finished his story, there was a pause. Kirigiri remained silent as she stared off the distance, seemingly deep in thought.

'So you're saying that you came back from the future?' Kirigiri finally asked, her tone bearing a subtle hint of disbelief.

'Yes,' Naegi nodded fervently, 'there is no other explanation for everyone being alive and the world still being peaceful.'

'And you wanted to prevent this "Most-Despair-Inducing-Incident" from happening again?' she asked again.

'Yes,' again Naegi nodded enthusiastically.

'Well…' Kirigiri slowly said, 'honestly, I find all these unbelievable. But I can tell you're not lying. Otherwise, how else would you know about the scars on my hands? It's not like I have ever told anyone that.'

'I see…' Naegi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

'But still, Naegi,' Kirigiri said, 'the future's not carved out in stone. Be careful of how you approach things or you may end up setting off the event yourself.'

Naegi felt his muscles tighten again. 'Then what should we do?'

'You mentioned getting close to Junko Enoshima earlier to find out about her plans,' Kirigiri replied, 'I'd say we stick with that for now. Naegi, observe everything you can about her and tell me about your findings. I have experience with psychology and I might be able to find out something based on your observations.'

'You want me to get close to Junko Enoshima!?' Naegi exclaimed.

'You seem to be a friendly guy,' Kirigiri replied, almost matter-of-factly, 'you'll be able to approach her better than I can. Meanwhile, I'll try to gather some other information from my end.'

Naegi's shoulders drooped. The idea of getting close to a psychopathic fashionista who tried to kill them certainly did not appeal to him.

'I'll come and find you when I find anything useful,' Kirigiri said, leading Naegi out of her room. The night was getting late and his presence in her room could make people suspicious.

'All right,' Naegi said, taking a deep breath, 'I'll do the same likewise. Thank you, Kyoko.' And with that he stepped out of her room and headed back to his own.

What Kyoko Kirigiri did not tell him was that, for the first time in her life, her heart ruled over her head. All manner of logic told her that Makoto Naegi's story was incredulous and unbelievable. And yet, a strangely familiar voice in her heart had told her to trust Naegi, and she had complied.

She wondered in amazement at her own decision as she watched Naegi's shrinking figure. As Naegi disappeared round the corner, Kirigiri finally turned back into her own room, soon falling into a restless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days passed by rather uneventfully as Naegi accustomed himself to being around his living classmates again. He stopped jumping when Ishimaru hollered his name, stopped flinching whenever Maizono called him, and stopped staring at disbelief whenever any one of his 'dead' classmates talked to him.

But it was not until a week after their first day of school that Naegi had the chance to talk to Junko Enoshima again.

It was a little too early in the morning when Naegi woke up uncomfortably from a nightmare – a surreal nightmare of the killing game. In his dream, he was once again locked up within Hope's Peak Academy with countless Monokumas surrounding him. Amongst the dual-coloured bears stood his classmates, all pointing at him in an accusatory fashion, similar to the trial when Monokuma tried to frame him for the death of Mukuro Ikusaba. Naegi had pleaded for them to hear him out, but no one would listen. Just as one of the Monokumas was about to drag him to his execution ground, he awoke with a start.

A light shower was falling outside the dormitory windows and the sun had barely risen. But the sight of the scenery outside the window, no matter how bleak, comforted Naegi greatly. He was safe. The killing game had yet to begin – not in this world at least.

No longer feeling sleepy, Naegi got up and got dressed, deciding to head to the cafeteria for an early breakfast. As he was walking towards the cafeteria, someone grabbed his shoulders, making him jump.

'Yo, Naegi!' a familiar pink-haired girl greeted him from behind.

'Enoshima!?' Naegi cried.

'G'morning!' Enoshima said cheerfully, 'You're up early!'

'Uhh… Yeah, I can't sleep anymore.' Naegi said, still recovering from his shock. 'You're up early yourself.'

'I got kinda hungry,' Enoshima replied, 'so I decided to get up and have breakfast instead.'

'Well, I'm about to get breakfast myself. Do you want to come along?' Naegi said, secretly conflicted at his chance to talk one-on-one with Enoshima. On one hand, he was grateful for the chance to finally proceed with his mission. But on the other hand, his memories of Junko Enoshima still gave him uneasy feelings.

'Sure!' Enoshima immediately agreed, 'C'mon! I'm starving!'

…

The two found the cafeteria deserted in such early hours. While Asahina and Ogami would usually wake up early to get some exercise, the bleak weather had most probably kept them in bed that day.

After grabbing some pancakes, Naegi sat himself opposite Enoshima at a table near the window.

'So, uhh… where's Ikusaba?' Naegi asked her as she happily munched on a bagel.

'Probably still asleep,' Enoshima replied nonchalantly, focusing wholeheartedly on her meal, 'It's not like we have to always be together, y'know?'

'Well… yeah, that's true I guess…' Naegi said nervously as he grabbed a bite off his pancake.

'So, Ultimate Luckster, huh?' Enoshima said, 'that's a unique title.'

'I got lucky enough to enter the school through a lottery,' Naegi said, chuckling a little as he wondered if his title was a blessing or a curse, considering the outcomes. 'Pretty unique I must say, but not very interesting. Your work as a model must be way more interesting.'

'Heh, it's all right I guess.' Enoshima said, 'Being a model is not all glitz and glamour. But still, it can be pretty fun. At least you get to wear all the cool stuff before they even hit the stores.'

'Have you always wanted to be a model?' Naegi asked.

'Hmmm… I guess so,' Enoshima replied, frowning slightly. 'As far back as I can remember that's all I always wanted to be. And besides, I've been modelling for such a long time that it has become a part of me. The thought of quitting is just unbelievable!'

'Well, what would you choose to do if you weren't a model?' Naegi asked again.

'Oh, I don't know. Maybe take over the world or something!' Enoshima replied, once again reverting back to her cheerful disposition. But her answer sent chills down Naegi's spine even though she said it in a joking manner. His face must have turned pale for Enoshima quickly said again, 'No, not really. Don't take that seriously! But other than fashion, maybe the other thing that really interests me is human behaviour.'

Her words greatly piqued Naegi's interest that he quickly overcame her one-off comment about world domination. 'Human behaviour?' he asked her curiously.

'Umm,' Enoshima nodded as she took a sip of her orange juice. 'Like analysing people's behaviour and then predicting what they would do in certain situations, or even their backgrounds. Things like that.'

'Then you must be really perceptive of people's behaviour,' Naegi remarked.

'Uh-huh!' Enoshima replied proudly, 'I've seen all kinds of people as a model. For example, I can already tell that quite a number of our classmates have some sort of inferiority complex.'

'Huh, really?' Naegi asked innocently. He, having been through hell with his classmates, of course knew full well the degree of inferiority complexes that a handful of them had. Such as Fukawa's perception that the whole world wants to bully her and Fujisaki's dismay at being a weak male to the point of dressing up as a girl.

'Yeah,' Enoshima replied, 'I can't really pinpoint all the causes of their complexes yet though.'

'Well, maybe they have their own personal reasons, or trauma, or whatever,' Naegi said, trying to avoid discussing the reasons he knew so well.

Thankfully, Enoshima did not seem to see the need to pursue the topic either for she quickly turned to discussing extracurricular activities.

Slowly, as the sky lit up, students began streaming into the cafeteria. More of their classmates joined them at their table, talking and joking loudly, inviting disapproving glares from the other students.

First came Kiyotaka Ishimaru, who seemed extremely proud of Naegi and Enoshima's attempt at waking up earlier in the morning. He felt that it was a sign of good discipline and happily lauded their efforts for the whole cafeteria to hear.

Soon after, Asahina and Ogami joined them, followed by Mukuro Ikusaba. Ikusaba, in particular, did not seem particularly happy when she heard from Ishimaru that her sister and Naegi had been awake since the early hours and spent some time chatting in the cafeteria. _Does she hate me or something?_ Naegi thought. Other than the incident where she caught him staring at Junko Enoshima during the headmaster's speech, Naegi could not recall ever crossing Ikusaba.

By the time they had to leave the cafeteria for classes, only Hagakure, Owada and Togami were absent. As usual, Hagakure was late; Owada, having a penchant for rule-breaking, would later appear at least an hour late for classes; whereas Togami preferred having his meals in solitude and reappear for classes all by himself.

As the whole class made their way to their classroom for the day's lessons, Naegi managed to whisper a message to Kirigiri, 'I need to talk to you tonight.' Kirigiri nodded in acknowledgement but did not utter another word. Naegi looked around nervously, hoping that his classmates, least of all Ikusaba or Enoshima, would not notice.

A curious glance met his eyes. It was not Enoshima, and neither was it Ikusaba.

It was Sayaka Maizono.

She was staring right back at Naegi, her expression indecipherable. In his heart, Naegi silently calculated the damage done by letting Maizono catch a glimpse of his and Kirigiri's relationship.

They did not get the chance to say anything to each other as the busyness of the school day engulfed them. While Naegi could not fathom how Maizono could affect his plans, he continued to feel uneasy about Maizono's earlier expression.

…

That night, Naegi again waited until the later hours when the dormitory corridors were deserted to visit Kirigiri. But as he opened the door to make his way to Kirigiri's room, a familiar face greeted him.

Sayaka Maizono had one hand held up high, as though she was just about to knock on Naegi's door.

'Ma-Maizono?' Naegi stuttered, not expecting her to be there.

'Naegi!' she cried, visibly shocked by Naegi's sudden appearance herself.

'What are you doing here?' Naegi asked her.

'Ah, I just thought I'd like to talk to you,' she said, looking rather flustered. 'Can I come in?'

Naegi was torn at her question. He needed to speak to Kirigiri as he had promised, but at the same time, he was also curious to know what brought Maizono to his room so late in the night.

'I promise it won't take long,' Maizono said again, as though she could read his mind.

'O-okay,' Naegi finally agreed, 'if you say so. Come in.'

He led her inside his dormitory room, which was largely undecorated. Maizono sat herself down at an armchair and stared down at her hands. Bewildered by her strange actions, Naegi was at a loss of what to do.

'Naegi,' Maizono said after a long moment of silence, 'have I done anything to offend you?'

'Huh? What do you mean?' Naegi asked, startled by her question.

'I don't know,' Maizono replied, 'Maybe I'm just being oversensitive, but I always get the feeling that you were trying to avoid me. I mean, we are classmates from middle school. And I thought we would have lots of catching up to do. But…'

Now it was Naegi's turn to get flustered. He had not meant to shun Maizono, but how could he ever explain to her that his uneasiness around her stemmed from her actions in the future?

'I-I… I'm sorry,' Naegi said apologetically, 'I don't mean to make you feel that way… There's just… a lot on my mind right now.'

'If it's something I did then I apologise too!' Maizono cried, 'I-I told you before that I have always admired your kindness. But unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to talk in middle school. So, I was hoping we could be friends now.'

Naegi drew a deep breath. He had no idea his actions had such a deep impact on Maizono. Inwardly, he reprimanded himself for being selfish. The Maizono sitting right before him had done nothing wrong. At that moment, Kirigiri's words after the trial, which convicted Leon Kuwata of Sayaka Maizono's murder, drifted back into his mind.

'_Maizono tried to throw you to the wolves. That is an unshakeable fact… but she was conflicted all the way to the end. Because of that, she was thinking of you in her last moments.' _

'_Maizono's final thoughts… were of how she could save you…'_

'_The evidence for that is in the dying message she left with her last remaining strength. She wouldn't have left that message if she didn't care what happened to you.'_

He had often pondered at Kirigiri's words ever since then. At that time, he had believed that Maizono's dying message was simply a mean for her to get back at Kuwata for killing her. But Kirigiri had believed otherwise… And as his trust in Kirigiri grew, so did his belief in those words.

Because of those words, he had forgiven Maizono. And yet, when faced with the real Maizono, the feelings of betrayal had returned to haunt him. And as a result, he had hurt her feelings by subconsciously shunning her.

'I'm sorry Maizono,' Naegi finally said, 'I-I can't really explain why I did what I did… but I am really sorry if I hurt your feelings. Of course we can be friends… that is if you are still willing to be friends with me…'

'What are you saying, Naegi?' a smile cracked on Maizono's lips, 'Of course, I'd love to be friends with you!' She looked visibly relieved and Naegi was grateful that she did not press the issue further by demanding an explanation for his actions.

Naegi grinned at her. 'Well, you should get some rest,' he told her, 'maybe we can catch up over breakfast tomorrow.'

Maizono smiled happily at his suggestion and nodded gleefully. But as she made her way out of his room, Maizono asked, 'Oh Naegi, I was just wondering, where were you heading to when I came?'

'Urm… the cafeteria,' Naegi stammered, naming the first place that crept into his mind. But his answer only puzzled Maizono even more.

'But it's too late!' she cried, 'we aren't allowed in the cafeteria in the middle of the night.'

'Well, I'm kind of hungry…' Naegi replied, chuckling nervously as he made things up along the way, 'I just thought I could sneak in and grab some bite…'

'I have some snacks in my room if you'd like?' Maizono offered in a concerned tone, seemingly buying Naegi's story.

'That's all right!' Naegi quickly said, 'Guess it was just a once off hunger pang.' The night was getting late and he could not afford to waste any more time getting to Kirigiri's room.

Brushing Maizono's worries aside, he quickly sent her off. He waited for a moment for Maizono to disappear into her room before rushing off in the opposite direction.

…

'You're late,' Kirigiri said when he finally reached her room. 'Did something happen?'

'Maizono,' Naegi replied and he soon began explaining the situation with Maizono to Kirigiri.

Kirigiri looked thoughtful as Naegi finished his story. 'Preconceptions can be a dangerous thing, Naegi,' she warned him, 'People can do the unthinkable when they feel threatened, frightened or stressed. Don't be too quick to judge Maizono, or even Kuwata, Owada or Celestia, as evil based on how they acted in the killing game. Those circumstances aren't good bases for judgements.'

Naegi nodded. He understood Kirigiri's point. Maybe it was because Maizono's betrayal directly concerned him that he felt a certain apprehension towards Maizono that he never felt with Kuwata or Owada or Celestia. But after reflecting back on Kirigiri's words, he began to feel that maybe it was time for a fresh start.

'So what did you want to tell me?' Kirigiri asked him.

Her words reminded him of his true purpose for visiting Kirigiri and he quickly proceeded to tell her all about his conversation with Junko Enoshima earlier that morning.

'Human behaviour, huh?' Kirigiri said, 'that's really interesting. Explains a lot about the killing game and how she uses various tricks to motivate people to kill one another.'

'I wonder if she has already hatched her plans for the killing game yet,' Naegi said, grimly. 'She sounded so… normal when I talked to her. I wonder if her crazy personality was hidden somewhere, or if she's just… still sane.'

'I can't really tell yet,' Kirigiri said, 'but I managed to find a lead. Apparently, Junko Enoshima has a connection with one of the senior students from Class 77. Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist, is apparently her childhood friend. Do you know what this means, Naegi?'

'Ultimate… Neurologist?' Naegi said slowly before the truth finally hit him like a rock. 'Aggghh! He might be responsible our memory losses!'

'Precisely,' Kirigiri said, 'But the fact that he wasn't in Hope's Peak Academy at the time of the killing game made me wonder if he was somewhere else… or if he was already dead.'

'We need to talk to this guy!' Naegi cried, 'He might hold the key!'

'Calm down, Naegi,' Kirigiri warned him, 'If he's part of such an elaborate killing plan, he might not open up to us that easily. At any rate, I'll try to think of the best way to approach him without rousing his, or Junko Enoshima's suspicions.'

Naegi nodded his head in agreement before Kirigiri said again, 'It's getting really late, Naegi. Go get some sleep.'

Naegi, suddenly realising how exhausted he was, did not argue. He bade Kirigiri good night and headed back to his own room where he immediately collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

'So who's gonna be in my team!?' Owada hollered.

It was a fine morning and Class 78 was having their gym class. The class had decided on a game of basketball, after which came the hard part of picking sides.

'You can't just shout loudly and expect people to join your team,' Ishimaru said, reproaching Owada. 'You have to consider all the rules and fairness of the game. For example, you can't have Ogami and Asahina in one team, that would make their team overpowered and–'

'Heck, who cares about those finer details?' Owada rebutted. 'What matters is having fun!'

'Well I do!' Ishimaru spat, his face turning red with anger. 'Without rules being enforced the game would not be fun at all! How would you feel if you were on the losing side!?'

'Are you telling me that I suck at basketball, you bastard?' Owada said, his temper rising to greet Ishimaru's.

'No matter how good you are you will be disqualified if you don't play by the rules!' Ishimaru retorted.

'Damn you!' Owada growled, after which a number of swear words followed.

Both Owada and Ishimaru seemed ready to go fist-to-fist against one another had it not been for Ogami. The large muscular girl calmly stepped between the two fiery youths and effortlessly pushed them apart.

'Can't we settle this in a more civil manner?' Ogami asked in her calm, deep voice. 'You guys can take turns to pick your teammates and we'll go with that team. Any objections?'

Both Owada and Ishimaru shook their head stiffly while all their other classmates merely nodded in agreement to Ogami's suggestion. After much shuffling and loathing stares, the teams were decided.

Team Owada: Naegi, Asahina, Ikusaba, Enoshima, Fujisaki, Fukawa, Hagakure

Team Ishimaru: Ogami, Kuwata, Maizono, Kirigiri, Celestia, Yamada, Togami,

It was not perfect. But the least they could do was balance the teams out as much as possible. Satisfied with their respective choices, Owada and Ishimaru stepped onto the court first, their eyes burning with intense determination.

However, ten minutes into the game, they soon realised that all hopes of a proper, intense basketball match were but a distant fantasy.

Both Fujisaki and Fukawa cowered as soon as they saw the ball approaching them; Enoshima and Celestia simply stood around, refusing to take part in the ensuing struggle for the ball ('I will break my newly manicured nails!'); Hagakure and Yamada seemed totally lost on the court, constantly passing to the wrong team and shooting to the wrong hoop; and Togami was simply disinterested.

The ensuing fiasco fuelled Owada and Ishimaru's determination to win the match even more. At the same time, however, their agitation began showing through their play styles. As the match went on, their actions became more and more aggressive, further augmented by the tight competition as shown by the scoreboard.

At the climax of the game, Ikusaba made a beautiful pass at Owada. Owada received it and, pushing past Togami and Kuwata, made his way towards the hoop. There, Ishimaru stood, waiting to intercept him. Owada was so close to losing the ball to Ishimaru, that in his last bid to save it, he threw the ball as hard as he could towards Fukawa.

If the whole scene could be replayed in slow motion, Fukawa's horror-stricken face as the ball sped towards her would have been apparent. But the whole incident happened so quickly that the next thing they knew, Fukawa was lying on the ground, unconscious from the knock of the ball to her face.

The whole class frantically gathered around Fukawa as she lay sprawled on the floor with her glasses broken beside her head.

'Is she all right!?' Maizono whispered worriedly.

'She's obviously NOT all right!' Enoshima replied.

As the class discussed how they should deal with the situation, a flash of realisation suddenly struck Naegi.

'I-I'll take her to the school clinic!' Naegi cried, and before any of his classmates could say anything, he had quickly scooped Fukawa's limp figure and sped out of the gym.

The corridors were, thankfully, deserted as classes were being held. For, before Naegi could reach the school clinic, a familiar voice stopped him dead on his tracks.

'Yo! You've got some nerves carrying a serial murderer like this. Kyehahahahaha!'

Naegi almost dropped her in shock. His eyes turned to greet the infamous Genocide Jill whom he had met during the killing game – Toko Fukawa's other personality.

Genocide Jill hopped off Naegi's arms effortlessly, her long tongue dangling madly out of her mouth.

'Why is my face hurting?' she asked as she rubbed her nose and forehead vigorously. 'And where are my glasses!?'

'Y-You got hit by a basketball,' Naegi explained, 'I'll get you your glasses later.' He eyed her warily, fearing that she would take out her frustrations on him.

'Trust that stupid girl to always cause problems for me!' Genocide said, crossing her arms. Not only their personalities, but also their manners of speech were totally different. Jill, in contrast to Fukawa, talked much faster and in a much more confident and blunt manner. 'But you!' she said, turning back to Naegi with one finger pointed at his chest, 'Why didn't you let Byakuya-sama carry me instead!?'

'Well Togami he wouldn't have known about Genocide Ji-' Naegi stopped dead in his tracks. 'Wait! But you've only just met Togami! I mean 'Genocide Jill' couldn't have met Togami!'

'Whaddya mean 'haven't met' Togami!?' Genocide replied menacingly, but in a split second, her eyes turned dreamy as she continued, 'After all we've been through… Through despair and hope… Isn't that romantic?'

'D-Don't tell me you're talking about the killing game?' Naegi asked.

''Everyday's a killing game for me! Kyehahahaha!' Genocide laughed maniacally, the dreaminess gone in an instant. 'But that reminds me,' she said, frowning slightly, 'I believe I made a promise to Byakuya-sama to devote my love to him and him only…' And again that superb transformation to a dreamlike state occurred; her cheeks flushing and Naegi could have sworn that she was even drooling, '…and that means no longer killing eye candies! Such a noble promise I made! All for the sake of Byakuya-sama! And I don't even have any thirst for his blood!'

'Wait! So you do remember about the killing game!' Naegi interjected.

'Can't you see that I'm having a moment here?' Genocide snapped, 'Besides who wouldn't remember being locked up in a place like tha-' she stopped suddenly at the sight of the window which overlooked the lush green gardens of Hope's Peak Academy. Without warning, she grabbed Naegi's t-shirt and dragged him towards the window.

'What happened to the windows?' she asked, almost innocently.

'Long story,' Naegi replied, chuckling at her reaction. Deep inside he was half-relieved to find someone who shared his experiences, but half disappointed to know that that someone was the murderous other half of Toko Fukawa.

'Long or short you'd better be explaining that to me!' Genocide said, reaching out at her thighs only to find that her beloved scissors, which she used to commit murders, were not there. 'Argh! That idiot…' she seethed.

'Anyway, I'll explain everything.' Naegi said, taking her hand off his t-shirt. 'Let's go to the dorms. You cannot be seen wandering about the school, especially not with a face like that.'

Naegi led Genocide Jill back to her dorm room before getting some medication for her from the school clinic. By the time he returned to her room, the place was in a mess.

'How could you leave me alone without my glasses!?' she cried. 'I knocked everything down just to get the door for you!'

'Sorry,' Naegi said, leading her back to her bed. As he helped Genocide Jill apply her medication, he explained the whole situation to her.

'Oh no!' Genocide cried, suddenly standing up, 'This is a horrible situation… a truly horrible situation indeed!'

'I know it's daunting,' Naegi said, 'but it's not all bad. I mean, we get the chance to rewrite history, prevent the killing game.'

'But… But that means that Byakuya-sama doesn't remember me at all!' Genocide shrieked.

_So that's what you were worried about, _Naegi thought, slapping his hand against his forehead.

'BUT!' Genocide shrieked again, almost making Naegi jump. And out came that lustful expression as she continued, 'my love for Byakuya-sama is pure, wholesome and real. I'm sure that it transcends time and space. And in the future of this world… our relationship will be as it once was… or even more!'

Naegi was unable to imagine Togami ever reciprocating Genocide/Fukawa's one-sided love, but he did not say anything to Genocide. If that delusional love of hers could save the lives of her would-be victims, then as sorry as he felt for Togami, he would have to continue encouraging her.

'You listen well!' Genocide said, her eyes now flashing dangerously as she drew extremely close to Naegi. 'The only way I'm gonna be in on your plan, is if Byakuya-sama is in it too! So if you want my help, you better be recruitin' Byakuya-sama.'

Naegi was stunned by her request. He knew convincing Byakuya Togami was no easy task, much so for a request as ridiculous as this.

'Thank you for your kind understanding,' Genocide said cheerfully, a wide grin plastered over her face, 'You really are a good guy, playing our cupid like that!'

Now at a total loss for words, Naegi merely shook his head as he made his way out of Genocide's room.


	6. Chapter 6

Naegi had immediately filled Kirigiri with everything that happened with Genocide Jill that afternoon. They sat at the school plaza under the warm afternoon sun where a number of other students were also enjoying themselves. Some were reading books, some chatting and others napping. Being careful not to let anyone overhear their conversation, Naegi and Kirigiri had picked a secluded spot in one corner of the large park-like space.

'Byakuya Togami, huh?' Kirigiri said, a small frown forming on her forehead. 'He doesn't look too friendly.'

'Tell me about it,' Naegi said, scowling. 'I mean even though he ended up working together with us, it still took time and… well you get the idea.'

'Let's put that aside for now,' Kirigiri said, nudging towards the centre of the plaza where a large fountain stood. And behind the running water, Naegi could make out the faint outlines of a girl.

'You think we were being watched?' Naegi asked Kirigiri frantically.

'No, there's no way she could have heard us from that distance,' Kirigiri replied, getting up on her feet. 'But something about us has definitely caught her attention.'

As Naegi got up, he saw a black haired girl sprinting towards the school building from behind the fountain.

'Ah! Ikusaba!' Naegi called out after her, and without thinking, he ran after Mukuro Ikusaba.

For the past month since they entered Hope's Peak Academy, Naegi had noticed that Ikusaba had always looked away whenever he caught her eye. She would often walk out of any room Naegi entered and turn to the opposite direction whenever they met in the corridors. At first, Naegi thought that it was just he being overly sensitive. But soon, he found that he could no longer ignore Ikusaba's actions and resolved to talk to her properly when he got the chance.

_This is the chance,_ Naegi thought. _If she knew something about me that she shouldn't have, then I need to find out what._

He chased after Ikusaba with a confused Kirigiri at his heels. But Ikusaba's title of Ultimate Soldier was not for naught, for she seemed to glide with abnormal ease across the corridors.

_Bam!_

Ikusaba was knocked down as she crashed into someone at the bend of a corridor. She had merely turned to glance if Naegi was still following and that split second of lost concentration had caused her to bump into Sayaka Maizono. With Ikusaba knocked down on the ground, Naegi finally managed to catch up with her, followed closely by Kirigiri.

'Are you all right?' Naegi asked her as he offered his hand for her.

'I'm fine,' Ikusaba said, again looking away from Naegi's eyes. But this time, Naegi could clearly see that her face had turned red.

'Ikusaba! Makoto! Kirigiri!' Maizono cried as she got up from the ground with Leon Kuwata helping her.

'Yo! Perfect timing!' Kuwata said grinning as he slapped one hand on Naegi's shoulder. 'We were just looking for you!'

'Looking for me?' Naegi asked.

'Y'see, since tomorrow's Saturday, I was just askin' Maizono if she wants to hang out in town,' Kuwata said, 'but she told me that she'd come only if you come along. So there you go. Meet at 10am at the entrance hall tomorrow, okay? Ikusaba and Kirigiri too.'

'I-I'll pass,' Ikusaba said, finally picking herself up from the ground.

'Please come!' Maizono said, 'the more the merrier!'

'I'm not taking a 'no' for an answer,' Kuwata said, 'I'll drag you all out of your dormitories if I have to!'

'All right, all right,' Naegi said, 'We'll come, right Ikusaba?'

Ikusaba looked visibly shocked by Naegi's sudden question but nevertheless she gave a small nod.

'Al'right!' Kuwata said excitedly, 'Then it's decided!' Before anyone of them could say anything, he dragged Naegi by the shoulders and led him away from the girls, completely oblivious to Naegi's complaints.

Once they were out of the girls' earshot, Kuwata said, 'look Naegi, no offence, I was initially intending to ask Maizono out on a date. But she insisted that you come along, otherwise she wouldn't come either. What d'you think about that?' Naegi opened his mouth to answer but before his voice made its way out, Kuwata had continued, 'I think she likes you. I mean that's the only plausible explanation.'

'It must be because we're classmates from middle school,' Naegi quickly interjected.

'You were?' Kuwata asked, and Naegi could register both feelings of surprise and relief from his expression.

'There's nothing between me and Maizono,' Naegi said, 'Just friends.'

Kuwata was now grinning broadly at Naegi. 'Glad I got to talk to you regarding this,' he said, 'come to think of it, you and that chick, Kirigiri were pretty darn close.'

Now it was Naegi's turn to blush furiously.

'Let's make a pact,' Kuwata said, 'If you help me win Maizono's heart, we'll go on a double date. You and Kirigiri, me and Maizono. I mean Ikusaba will be there tomorrow, so it won't really be a double date and I haven't asked Maizono out either. So I need you to help me provide the right conditions.'

'In other words, leave you and Maizono alone,' Naegi said.

'That's right!' Kuwata said, 'I don't mean for the whole day. Maizono'll get suspicious. But you know… the correct moments.'

'Yeah, okay,' Naegi said, 'I'll see what I can do.'

'You're the best, Naegi!' Kuwata said happily, 'I promise not to breathe a word to anyone. This is between us. A bro thing, okay?'

As Kuwata walked away with a spring in his step, Naegi let out a soft chuckle. After what happened in the killing game, who would have thought that _this_ could happen between Maizono and Kuwata. But it was not a bad idea either. In the comfort of such peaceful days, Naegi could not help but feel that he should enjoy the high school life that he never remembered.

…

Exactly at 10am the next morning, Naegi made his way to the entrance hall. The hall was packed full with students who had the day off and were looking to venture out somewhere. He caught sight of his four classmates, all dressed up, not far from the main entrance.

Kuwata was wearing a denim jacket, a black pair of pants, a printed t-shirt and a red and black shawl draped around his neck. Maizono, on the other hand, looked sweet with a frilly light blue dress and a soft white cardigan. Ikusaba stood beside her, sporting a leather jacket, denim shorts and knee-high laced boots. And finally there was also Kirigiri who was wearing a dark coloured trench coat, a mini dress, ankle boots and her trademark gloves. All of a sudden, Naegi felt severely underdressed as he looked down on his favourite green hooded parka, jeans and sneakers.

'Yo! Right on time, Naegi!' Kuwata greeted him. 'We've got no time to lose. Let's go!'

They took the train to a well-known shopping district about thirty minutes train ride away. Kuwata had kept the group entertained with various jokes and stories. A couple of times Naegi stole glances at Ikusaba, but she was seemingly determined to avoid his gaze and kept her eyes fixated on Kuwata.

The district was bustling with people. Here and there, people with stylish clothes and large shopping bags walked past with smiles on their faces. Stores were decorated lavishly with all sorts of merchandise, and the tall buildings featured all sorts of banners and advertisements.

_How long has it been since I last seen this kind of scenery_, Naegi thought, smiling to himself. Ever since he had been transported back in time, this was the first time he had stepped out to such a crowded and lively place.

The girls first went shopping for clothes and tried on a couple of pieces, although it took a while to convince Ikusaba to do so. Maizono enthusiastically shoved a variety of different clothes at Ikusaba and Kirigiri for them to try on. She did not seem to care if their dress styles were vastly different from hers and insisted that the two of them model the clothes they tried on for her and the boys to see.

And thus, Naegi and Kuwata spent most of their time standing outside fitting rooms, waiting for the girls to come out with a variety of different outfits and pass their comments.

'How's this one?' Maizono asked as she reappeared in a bright yellow dress.

'It suits you,' Naegi commented.

'You look really beautiful in that!' Kuwata said enthusiastically. Maizono turned pink at the compliment but nevertheless smiled happily as she turned back into the fitting room to try on the next set of outfit.

Next, Ikusaba emerged from the fitting room next to Maizono's in a white striped dress that Maizono had picked out for her. Naegi who was accustomed to seeing Ikusaba in dark colours could tell that Ikusaba was feeling highly uncomfortable in it. But she looked really nice all the same and Naegi could not help but pay her a compliment.

'It's a refreshing change,' he said, 'you look really nice in that.'

And as if a chemical reaction had taken place, within a split second, Ikusaba's face had turned scarlet. Without waiting for Kuwata's comment she hurriedly went back into the fitting room, closing the curtain behind her. Kuwata side-eyed Naegi with a knowing look on his face while Naegi could only stare in bewilderment.

After that event, Ikusaba refused to try on any more outfits, but she did purchase the white striped dress. Fortunately, after purchasing three big bags of outfits, Maizono was finally content and suggested that they have lunch and catch a movie afterwards.

'Hey let's catch that movie 'So Lingers the Ocean',' Maizono suggested over lunch, 'I heard that was adapted from Fukawa's book.' The group had picked a local burger joint for their lunch and was chatting happily as they indulged in the delicious burgers.

'Yeah, sounds good!' Kuwata immediately agreed. Naegi smirked, knowing that Kuwata would have said the same regardless of which movie Maizono suggested.

Neither Ikusaba nor Kirigiri had any objections either and after lunch, they quickly purchased tickets for the next session. The group dispersed temporarily to get snacks and go to the toilet, and after getting a popcorn and some soda for himself, Naegi found himself alone with Ikusaba.

'Hey, don't you want some popcorns?' Naegi asked her.

'No, I'm good, thanks,' Ikusaba replied succinctly.

'So, uhh… I was wondering… if there's anything I did to anger you?' Naegi asked apprehensively.

Upon hearing this, Ikusaba turned around to face him. 'N-No!' she said, flustered, 'you haven't done anything! It's just… If it's about yesterday then I apologise! I ran away because I didn't want you to think I was spying! I don't know why, I guess it was reflex… no… but that doesn't mean I'm spying either!'

Naegi could not help but smile at her reaction. First of all, he felt relieved that Ikusaba had not learned anything about him that she should not have. And secondly, he felt that Ikusaba's flustered reaction was cute. It made her seem human – more human than he ever imagined the Ultimate Soldier to be. 'I wouldn't accuse you of spying,' Naegi said, 'But it would be nice if you stopped running away every time we meet.'

Again, a bright red tint coloured Ikusaba's pale face. She nodded but was saved from the need to reply by the timely return of Kuwata.

Thirty minutes into the movie, Naegi was beginning to regret his lack of objections to Maizono's suggestion. The movie was a hopeless romantic flick – Fukawa's trademark. While the storyline was admittedly good, he did not fancy the idea of watching a romance drama, especially not with this group of people. For one thing, he felt like he, Ikusaba and Kirigiri were merely accompanying Kuwata and Maizono into the theatre in a bid to set them up. On the other hand, Naegi also felt that Ikusaba and Kirigiri, being Ultimate Soldier and Ultimate Detective respectively, did not seem the type to watch hopelessly romantic movies.

Two seemingly endless hours later, Naegi felt relieved as he dragged his feet out of the theatre.

'That was soooo…. romantic!' Maizono gushed as she wiped her teary eyes.

'It was, wasn't it?' Kuwata said even though his expression seemed to say otherwise.

'That was quite interesting,' Ikusaba commented unexpectedly. Everyone but Maizono who was still drying her eyes turned to face her with a surprised look. 'Well, on the battlefield, I always faced the ugly side of human nature,' she explained, 'so it's kind of refreshing to see a more tender side for a change.'

The horrors that Ikusaba must have faced on the battlefield had never occurred to Naegi before. Now that he thought about it, he began to sympathise with her. _Ikusaba did not escape the horrors of war to be faced with the horrors of Junko Enoshima, _he thought._ She needed to know that things other than despair exist. Things such as hope._

'I just remembered that there is something I need to buy,' Kirigiri said, breaking the silence. 'Naegi, Ikusaba, can you accompany me? We'll meet back in school.' Naegi and Ikusaba both nodded and followed Kirigiri out of the cinema, leaving Kuwata to comfort Maizono who was still teary-eyed.

As they walked through the crowded streets, Ikusaba asked Kirigiri, 'what is it that you need to buy?'

'Nothing,' Kirigiri replied. 'The plan was to leave Kuwata with Maizono alone, am I right?' she said, turning to Naegi. Naegi nodded. Trust Kirigiri to figure out Kuwata's plans through simple observation.

The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon having ice creams and playing at the arcade. Ikusaba seemed to have lightened up after the talk with Naegi and was now smiling happily as she challenged Kirigiri on a racing console. Two hours later, they made their way back to school accompanied by a giant teddy bear that Ikusaba had won on a shooting game.

That night, Naegi's thoughts drifted to Ikusaba. Now that he knew she meant no harm to him, he wondered how deep was Junko Enoshima's influence on her.

'The sisters of despair,' Naegi muttered to himself as he gazed at the ceilings of his dormitory. Did Ikusaba willingly follow Enoshima's plans? Or was she somehow caught up in it because Enoshima was her sister? Was she as obsessed with despair as her sister was? Maybe it was not just Junko Enoshima that he needed to get close to. Who knew, the key to the problem might just lie in her sister.


	7. Chapter 7

Kuwata approached Naegi with a big grin the next morning. He had apparently succeeded in asking Sayaka Maizono to be his girlfriend and he would not stop thanking Naegi for helping him.

'I really owe you this one, Makoto,' he said for the umpteenth time, 'Listen, we're bros now okay? Let me know if there's anything you need or any girls you'd like me to set you up with.'

'No worries, got it, thanks Kuwata,' Naegi said robotically as he scooped another spoonful of curry rice.

'It's LE-ON,' Kuwata said, 'we're not strangers anymore aren't we?'

'All right, Leon,' Naegi said, silently wishing that Kuwata would stop badgering him. He had more pressing matters to attend to. For one thing, he had promised Kirigiri that they would try approaching Yasuke Matsuda. And the last thing Naegi needed was Kuwata tagging along.

'Oh, I'm gonna leave you now,' Kuwata said as he spotted Kirigiri approaching them, 'Let me know if you need anything.' He winked at Naegi and left the cafeteria, but not before giving Kirigiri a casual wave.

'I tried waiting it out,' Kirigiri said with an amused smile, 'but it didn't seem like he was going to give up on you anytime soon.'

Naegi sighed. 'Hold on,' he told her, 'let me finish this and then we'll go.'

…

The pair made their way to the biology labs where Matsuda allegedly spent most of his time. Hope's Peak Academy had extensive facilities for its students, which would make any institution jealous. The labs contain high-end technology for every type or research imaginable and were provided for the students' use, free of charge.

It did not take long to find the person they were looking for since it was a Sunday and the labs were mostly deserted. But a lone figure lay on a bed in the corner of one of the labs, with a comic book covering his face.

'Umm… Should we wake him up?' Naegi whispered.

'I'm not asleep,' the figure answered, startling both Naegi and Kirigiri. A tall slender youth removed the book from his face and sat up on the bed. His shirt crumpled and untucked, and his hair long and messy. But despite his unkempt appearance, he was rather good looking and maintained an air of confidence. 'So what're you two doing here?' he asked them.

'Err… we came to talk to you,' Naegi slowly replied. He was not quite sure what to say to this stranger who was exuding an air of hostility.

'Then hurry up and get going with it,' he said turning his gaze to his comic book.

'We came to talk to you regarding Junko Enoshima,' Kirigiri said calmly, unfazed by Matsuda's rude behaviour.

The sound of Junko Enoshima's name seemed to have caught part of Matsuda's attention. He twitched a little as he replied Kirigiri, 'Why would you want to talk to me about that ugly girl? What she does is none of my business.'

Naegi's mouth dropped open. Surely no one could label Junko Enoshima as 'ugly'? But Kirigiri retained her composure as she continued; 'you have known her for a long time haven't you?'

'Maybe,' Matsuda said with a condescending smirk, as though he was taunting Kirigiri, his eyes still fixed on his book.

'Then maybe you have noticed her abnormal fascination with despair?' Kirigiri said again, ignoring his attitude. Matsuda did not say a word, but the smirk disappeared from his face. Again Kirigiri ignored this and continued, 'what concerned us was her plan to spread this despair of hers to her others. And I do not mean in the small-scale, but worldwide. And this plan of hers involved you, the Ultimate Neurologist. You play a crucial part in her plan – to wipe out the memories of her guinea pigs. To make them forget who they are and succumb to despair.'

This time, Matsuda lifted his gaze off his book and turned to face Kirigiri with a grave stare in his eyes. 'You are one seriously screwed up chick. You spout all these nonsense about wiping out memories and some grandiose plan to spread despair. I wouldn't even buy your story, and what exactly were you expecting me to do? Stop Junko Enoshima? Hah!'

'It's true!' Naegi interjected, 'I've been through that hell. That incident…' he shuddered as the memories came flooding back through his mind. 'Junko Enoshima was the mastermind of 'The High School Life of Mutual Killing'. She had us kill one another and televised the whole incident worldwide to kill people's hopes.'

'Kill one another? Televised mutual killing?' Matsuda said, standing up from the bed with a look of disbelief and disgust. 'You're making even less sense! This is a load of bull crap! Get out of my lab! Or otherwise maybe I can turn you both into specimens to study the minds of crazy students.'

'No! You sit and listen to what we have to say!' Kirigiri said sternly, a flash of anger sparked in her violet eyes, intimidating even Matsuda such that he sat back down. 'Naegi will tell you his whole story. You can even use lie detectors if you want but until he finishes his story, you are to sit still and make no judgements.'

Matsuda sulked as his eyes turned back onto his comic book, but he made no further attempts to drive them out of the lab. Naegi took a deep breath before reciting his whole story to the Ultimate Neurologist, as detailed as he had previously told Kirigiri.

Once he had finished his story, silence ensued until Matsuda broke it off with a scathing tone, 'there, I listened to your story. And I still think that's a load of bull crap.'

'But-' Naegi began but Kirigiri interjected him.

'That's all right,' she said, 'we'll take our leave now. But keep this in mind, Yasuke Matsuda: Junko Enoshima was willing to sacrifice even her own sister for the sake of what she called 'ultimate despair'. Even if you tried to shield and protect her, I don't doubt that you would be just another casualty in her plan.'

Matsuda said nothing, his eyes remained fixed on the comic book he was holding. But all throughout Naegi's story, not once did he flip a single page. Kirigiri strode out of the lab with Naegi following closely behind, unsure of whether Matsuda's lack of response was a good thing or not.

…

'Shouldn't we try to convince him more, Kyoko?' Naegi asked uncertainly when they were far enough from the labs.

'No,' Kirigiri replied, 'any further arguments would only agitate him. He trusts Enoshima. And here we are, two students he had never met before claiming that Enoshima's a super evil mastermind of despair.'

'Then what's the point in telling him the story and everything?' Naegi asked.

'Enoshima might not have hatched her plan just yet,' Kirigiri said, 'or she might not have told Matsuda about it. And by the time she does tell Matsuda about it, he would know that we were speaking the truth.'

'That doesn't guarantee that he would help us,' Naegi said, 'and besides, what if Matsuda told Enoshima about us approaching him and everything we said to him?'

'No… there's no guarantee in that,' Kirigiri said thoughtfully, 'but if his conscience calls out to him, then I believe he would help us. He was hesitating back there and whatever he might say; he must have seen some truth in your story. And because of that I don't think he would tell Enoshima about what just happened.'

…

Soon after, Kirigiri left for the library leaving Naegi to wander around the school aimlessly. His mind was filled with the mysteries of Yasuke Matsuda, and the part he played (or will play) in orchestrating the Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Incident. Occasionally his mind would also drift back to Junko Enoshima.

Based on Matsuda's reaction earlier, Enoshima might have already begun to show signs of her fascination with despair. Naegi wondered how much further must she fall in order to reach the same psychopathic level that she displayed during their final confrontation. Or was she already deranged but impeccably hiding it?

His endless stream of thoughts subconsciously brought him to the corridors on the third floor. As he passed through one of the corridors, a gap in one of the doors revealed Chihiro Fujisaki in one of the deserted classrooms, fiddling with a laptop.

Intrigued, Naegi knocked on the door, alerting Fujisaki of his presence. Fujisaki looked up from his laptop and smiled warmly at Naegi.

'Hi Naegi, I wasn't expecting anyone to pass by here,' Fujisaki said.

'Hey, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here either,' Naegi said, waving back at Fujisaki as he entered the classroom, 'Are you working on a project or something?'

'Oh no, I'm just doing some research,' Fujisaki replied, 'on the connections between the mind and technology. Are you interested in listening about it?' Naegi nodded and Fujisaki went on with his explanation, 'with advanced technology, you can upload your consciousness onto any kinds of computer. With that consciousness uploaded, you can even create an artificial intelligence with it, duplicating your personality, knowledge, etc. But what I'm looking at is the idea of _transporting_ that consciousness. The physical being is difficult to transport instantly because of all the law of physics and everything, so the consciousness is the most viable option. Imagine being able to transport your consciousness to America or France and experience life there while your physical being remains here!'

'That-that was ingenious!' Naegi exclaimed. He was completely amazed by Fujisaki's theory.

Fujisaki blushed at the compliment and said again, 'well, it still needs more work though. Theoretically it seems wonderful and all but there are several problems with it. First, the human mind is deeply complex. With an AI (artificial intelligence), you can reprogram the duplicate extracted from your brain's data to make it less… unpredictable, less erratic. As a computer is. But with _transporting_ your mind… I'm afraid it won't be as simple. Furthermore, there's also the issue of the vessel. Even if your consciousness could be transported to let's say America. It wouldn't be fun to just be wandering through their computer systems wouldn't it?'

Naegi frowned as he contemplated Fujisaki's explanation, but out of a sudden, an idea struck him. 'Hold on!' he cried excitedly, 'what about _time travel_? If you transport your consciousness to the past, then your old self could serve as the vessel. That's one problem solved isn't it?'

Now it was Fujisaki's turn to frown at Naegi's idea. He contemplated it for a moment before slowly saying, 'I suppose that isn't a bad idea…'

'It must be possible, Chihiro!' Naegi exclaimed. He paused for a moment, wondering if it would be wise to tell Fujisaki what he experienced. Fujisaki in turn stared at him in bewilderment until Naegi said again, 'I… I experienced it… having my consciousness transported back in time… I don't know how yet but after hearing your explanation, I believe it must be related to you somehow!'

He told Fujisaki his whole story. Right then and there. _I trust Chihiro,_ he thought, _if it weren't for him creating Alter Ego, I would have been dead._ Every now and then, Fujisaki would squirm at his tale, probably in disbelief that any of their friends could ever betray one another. He asked a few questions here and there but he never made any notions of disbelieving Naegi's story.

There was a long pause as Naegi finished his story, but after a moment, Fujisaki said slowly, 'I honestly don't know what to believe, Naegi. I mean… this all seemed very farfetched, doesn't it? But then again, I couldn't explain how else would you have known things about us despite barely knowing us for a month. For one thing, I have never told anyone in Hope's Peak Academy that I'm a boy…'

Naegi sighed. 'I understand, Chihiro,' he said, 'it sounds farfetched even to me no matter how many times I've recited them. But please do me a favour. Please continue that research on consciousness and time travel. I can feel that the answer lies somewhere in there. It may not be your answer, but it'll definitely be mine.'

Fujisaki nodded determinedly. 'I'll do whatever I can to help, Naegi,' he said.

'Thank you, Chihiro,' Naegi said, smiling wearily at him.

'No worries,' Fujisaki replied, smiling back gently at Naegi, 'we're friends, aren't we?'


End file.
